Message from the FDIC

Seventeen years ago, the FDIC released the Money Smart curriculum, starting with an instructor-led format for adults to support bank-community collaboration and help consumers build essential financial knowledge, skills, and confidence. Those materials, distributed to educators in paper form, included extensive instructions on topics like how to fill out a check but nothing on topics like mobile banking because it wasn’t widely used then. With millions of consumers reached and countless collaborations to use the material, the program has far exceeded our initial expectations. Although Money Smart for Adults has been updated through the years to reflect changes in consumer laws and industry practices, we are now excited to announce that an overhauled and improved version is available for download.

The new curriculum not only provides timely information and training materials, but also benefits from suggestions provided by the banks, schools, and other organizations that use Money Smart.

We designed the curriculum so that it can support a broad array of economic inclusion initiatives. For example, the new Money Smart for Adults has materials for workshops or activities related to debt management and credit repair. The educational material on managing a checking account may be useful for individuals who want to establish (or re-establish) a banking relationship. We are encouraged by the positive reactions we received from some of our Alliance members who reviewed drafts of the curriculum. In fact, if you have not already, please consider joining the Alliance for benefits such as the ability to be the first to learn about improvements with the Money Smart program. Learn more, download the materials, or sign up for a train-the-trainer webinar at www.fdic.gov/moneysmart.

Also, remember that we are eager to hear from you about promising approaches or successful strategies involving Money Smart that we can share with other financial educators in a future edition of our newsletter. Whether you are offering us suggestions or looking for assistance from FDIC staff, e-mail us at moneysmartnews@fdic.gov.

The Updated Money Smart for Adults

The FDIC has issued an updated version of Money Smart for Adults. It features new content, activities to engage participants and modules, along with other design improvements that are influenced by instructional best practices. Money Smart Alliance members (federally insured financial institutions, tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, schools, and federal, state and local government agencies that contribute to the delivery of Money Smart) shared insights that contributed to the updates. The new version for adults is available at Money Smart for Adults webpage. You can also view and sign up for upcoming webinars to learn more about how to use the curriculum.

Not Yet a Member of the Money Smart Alliance?

Among the benefits of membership is the opportunity to be listed on the FDIC website, where consumers can find information about the training you offer and other organizations can identify you as a potential collaborator. To learn more or to submit your request for membership, go to our Money Smart Alliance webpage.

Learn More About Our Money Smart Alliance Members

Visit our Money Smart Alliance – New Members webpage to learn more about some of the FDIC’s Money Smart Alliance members. In fact, 234 organizations joined the Alliance since the Spring/Summer edition of Money Smart News. The webpage lists new members and is updated every quarter with the newest Alliance members. Also, as a reminder, consumers looking for training or organizations that are interested in collaborating with other organizations can visit the searchable directory of Alliance members.

The FDIC Publishes a 25th Anniversary Special Edition of Our Consumer Newsletter

FDIC Consumer News, the newsletter published quarterly by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation since the fall of 1993, is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a special expanded edition featuring updated versions of 25 of our more popular articles. The new guide, entitled “25 Years of Tips You Can Bank On: Time-Tested Strategies for Managing and Protecting Your Money, includes one article from each year going back to 1993. Topics include saving for retirement, understanding FDIC deposit insurance coverage, money tips for travelers, and how to search for lost or forgotten bank accounts. Read or print this special edition and get subscription information.

FDIC Consumer News is Now Paperless

Starting September 2018, FDIC Consumer News became a paperless publication consisting of individual articles, at least one per month. The articles will still be posted at www.fdic.gov/consumernews and available in printable and Spanish versions. To subscribe to receive an email when new articles are released, go to www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html, provide the necessary information, then select "Consumer News." You can also learn about new articles if you “like” the FDIC Facebook page (www.facebook.com/FDICgov) or follow the FDIC on Twitter (www.twitter.com/FDICgov).

An Easier Way to Download Money Smart

Did you know that you can now download most Money Smart products without creating an account or logging in? Just go to our online ordering system and select the product you want. Instead of clicking on “adding to cart,” you can now click on “show downloadable files” and download whichever materials you need. Also, as before, you can create an account if you need to order Money Smart materials on CD or if you need an email to be sent to you with links to download the files.

FDIC and the Small Business Administration hosted a webinar on June 7, 2018 to showcase organizations that use the Money Smartfor Small Business curriculum and provide updates on new products and opportunities to support product development.

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Contact staff with questions on the Money Smart materials. And, share tips or other experiences using Money Smart with the FDIC team. This feedback helps us enhance Money Smart and may also be considered for publication in Money Smart News.